Sunday, November 6, 2016

Nothing changes at the top of the college football world: Alabama shuts out LSU, Clemson do the same to Syracuse, Michigan run all over Maryland and Washington blowout California. The only high ranking team to lose were Texas A&M, to Mississippi State of all teams, but they didn’t deserve the top 4 ranking anyway.

#1 Alabama (9-0, 6-0) 10 #13 LSU (5-3, 3-2) 0: The 6th straight win for Alabama in this rivalry, holding the Tigers to just 125 offensive yards. Jalen Hurts ran for a touchdown early in the fourth which determined the winner of this game.

Syracuse (4-5, 2-3) 0 #2 Clemson (9-0, 6-0) 54: Plenty of garbage time in this game to let the subs play, as Clemson forced three turnovers and held the Orange to just 277 yards. Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another.

Maryland (5-4, 2-4) 3 #3 Michigan (9-0, 6-0) 59: Another demolition by Michigan, ripping through the Big Ten on their way to the one game that really matters: The Game, against Ohio State.

#4 Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2) 28 Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3) 35: Any dreams the Aggies had about somehow winning the division got stomped on by Nick Fitzgerald, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two more while also going for 182 yards.

#5 Washington (9-0, 6-0) 66 California (4-5, 2-4) 27: Another one goes down as the Huskies continue rolling, this time with six touchdown passes from Jake Browning, now with two home games before their huge Apple Cup clash.

#10 Nebraska (7-2, 4-2) 3 #6 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1) 62: The good news is that Tommy Armstrong isn’t too badly hurt and came back to the stadium walking after a scary moment during the game. But Nebraska looked completely out of its depth in Columbus, giving up four touchdowns to J.T. Barret’s throwing, and getting outgained by 386 yards.

#7 Louisville (8-1, 6-1) 52 Boston College (4-5, 1-5) 7: Another huge day for Lamar Jackson, with 4 touchdown passes and 3 touchdown runs, as Louisville outgained Boston College by more than 300 yards, although it won’t be enough unless Clemson lose to someone.

#8 Wisconsin (7-2, 4-2) 21 Northwestern (4-5, 3-3) 7: Corey Clement rushed for a touchdown and 106 yards, helping Wisconsin overcome a tough Northwestern team in a city still hungover from the World Series.

Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-4) 16 #9 Auburn (7-2, 5-1) 23: The Tigers hold on for the win after coming back from behind in the third quarter. Sean White threw a touchdown pass and Kerryon Johnson ran for one, as Auburn remains the last line of defense against Alabama running the table in the division.

#11 Florida (6-2, 4-2) 10 Arkansas (6-3, 2-3) 31: After it looked like Arkansas were in free fall, they go ahead and pull off something like this, which gives Kentucky some hope they’ll actually win the SEC East. Luke Del Rio threw two interceptions and the offense didn’t show up, while Rawleigh Williams III ran for two touchdowns and 148 yards.

Iowa (5-4, 3-3) 14 #12 Penn State (7-2, 5-1) 41: The Nittany Lions remain on the path to wait for Michigan to stumble. Meanwhile, Trace McSorley threw two touchdown passes and running back Saquon Barkley ran for 162 yards and a touchdown.

#14 Oklahoma (7-2, 6-0) 34 Iowa State (1-8, 0-6) 24: For about 11 minutes in the second quarter the Cyclones were rolling, even grabbing a 17-14 lead. But Baker Mayfield threw a couple of touchdown passes before halftime and the dream of an upset was over.

UCLA (3-6, 1-5) 10 #15 Colorado (7-2, 5-1) 20: It’s still incredible to see Colorado ranked, and winning without a single touchdown throw, instead tossing 3 interceptions and still winning. Their defense was simply terrific, holding UCLA to 210 yards, and a late punt return by Isaiah Oliver did the trick.

#18 Oklahoma State (7-2, 5-1) 43 Kansas State (5-4, 3-3) 37: The Cowboys remain in runner-up position behind their Bedlam rivals, as Mason Rudolph threw five touchdown passes (and two interceptions) in a wild day in Manhattan, with four lead changes and Jesse Ertz running for 3 touchdowns, trying to win it for the home team.

#19 Virginia Tech (7-2, 5-1) 24 Duke (3-6, 0-5) 21: The Blue Devils remain winless in the conference, while the Hokies hold on to the lead in their division, getting their advantage in the game thanks to a blocked field goal turned touchdown by Adonis Alexander.

Kansas (1-8, 0-6) 21 #20 West Virginia (7-1, 4-1) 48: The Mountaineers bounce back from their first loss of the season, getting a five-touchdown day from Skyler Howard, also running for two. The score was 31-0 before things got a little bit closer, just a bit.

Georgia Tech (5-4, 2-4) 20 #21 North Carolina (7-2, 5-1) 48: The Tar Heels remain right behind Virginia Tech, waiting for the Hokies to slip, enjoying a big day from Elijah Wood who ran for 3 touchdowns, while quarterback Mitch Trubisky threw for one TD and ran for another.

#22 Florida State (6-3, 3-3) 24 North Carolina State (4-5, 1-4) 20: The Wolfpack can’t get that signature win they’re looking for no matter how close they come. The game was won with 3:09 left, when Deondre Francois found Travis Rudolph for a 19-yard touchdown.

San Jose State (3-7, 2-4) 31 #24 Boise State (8-1, 4-1) 45: The game was close in the first half, but the Aztecs couldn’t keep up in the third quarter. Brett Rypien threw 3 touchdown passes while both McNichols and Mattison ran for more than 100 yards and at least a touchdown each. Boise State still trail Wyoming in their division.

Arizona (2-7, 0-6) 7 #25 Washington State (7-2, 6-0) 69: The Cougars remain on a collision course with the Huskies for the Pac-12 North title. This time, they scored nine offensive touchdowns, including four TD passes from Luke Falk. Gerard Wicks ran for a couple of scores himself.